2022 Off-season Thread - The Future is Bright

[dms]

I worry that there is a fear of a quick hook from JBB that has wrecked the confidence of some of these guys.

A quick hook and Okoro?? The guy has played 30 minutes a night from the moment he set foot in the league despite doing nothing to earn those minutes. Stevens and Wade have to fear a quick hook, to date Okoro's minutes have been set in stone.

 

[Heat Check]

A quick hook and Okoro?? The guy has played 30 minutes a night from the moment he set foot in the league despite doing nothing to earn those minutes. Stevens and Wade have to fear a quick hook, to date Okoro's minutes have been set in stone.

Exactly. Okoro has always had zero accountability.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Okoro was fortunate in that he was drafted by a team where he could step right in and start 67 games at small forward as a rookie. Cedi was the only other small forward that year.

Last year they added Markkanen to play the 3 and moved Okoro to the 2 where he got a lot of playing time with Sexton out. But then they traded for LeVert and drafted Agbagi. They also discovered that the team's best lineup has Garland and Rubio at guard. Okoro is being edged out.

But they still have a #5 pick invested in him so he'll get the opportunity to play if he can show some offensive chops. He doesn't have to score a lot since we have a lot of scorers in Garland, Sexton, LeVert, Markkanen, Allen, Mobley, and Love, but we can't play 4-on-5 when Okoro is in the game. His corner 3 came along nicely last year but he couldn't hit from the wing to save his life.

He needs a way to finish at the rim against bigs. Kyrie floats past them and spins it in high off the glass. Garland uses a floater off a one-legged takeoff. LeVert pulls up for a 12-foot jumper. It sounds like that last shot is the one Okoro is working on.

 

[gambler]

Do you see why the data skewed negative right after LeBron left? The franchise was in chaos for most of that stretch, not just one guy.

I've been among the few who preferred keeping Love through all this. I'll include a few admissions to start it out:

His deal became a bad contract as soon as he was injured in 2018. The four year contract compensated him for two years of near All Star type money with the understanding Father Time would catch up on the last two. The Cavs therefore overpaid in hindsight.

I'll also allow that he didn't take care of his body during the COVID shutdown. He needed to fail in Team USA practices to realize that taking the off-season off doesn't work at his age.

That said, as a locker room voice, he has been vastly underrated. The offense had serious issues from 2018 through the 2020/21 season. As an offensive-specialist power forward, there isn't much he can do if the coaches and young guards aren't getting him the ball when he should get it. All the while, young players loved him as the fanbase scapegoated him for not being a one on one perimeter force.

Last season, he led the team in games played. He led the second unit's offense, no matter which players were on the floor with him. The key to his rebirth last season is the growth of players around him. He needs guards who know how to get him good looks. He needs a defender like Allen or Mobley covering him defensively. He was simply worth every penny.

At this point, the idea of trading Love is a dated viewpoint. It doesn't make sense because we are the young contender who would need what Love provides. Moving him for another fading power forward in Barnes doesn't move the needle at all.

why do you see harrison barnes as "fading" at 30 yrs old?.... because hes proven iron....i see him as a thaddeus young type....who was still putting up 6th moy numbers at 33.....imo...the cavs give up a 1st and can get barnes to sign a 2/30.....done....then they have both lauri/barnes for three more years at the 3....1,3,4 and 5 and a 30 minute bench player..... championship pieces set....now you just need the 2.

i dont have a problem wiht love last year....but his numbers might regress at 34 and there is the fact that hes only good for 20/game now... porzingis, hayward......anthony "street clothes" davis being a top 10....these types of players can help you win a conference final but you cant count on them...i dont bet on teams wiht these types of players....

its not the end of teh world if the cavs cant swap out a high percentage SF for love.....myb mobely can do 35+ form the 3 and play 13/game at SF during the playoffs if he has the futwork.... love can myb then get 22...you just cant have kevin love playing 10/game ...the cavs are not good enough to do that....from what ive seen ...okoro cant play 20/game....his lack of shooting....opposing players will cheat....thybulle is at least a premier defender....15/game in the playoffs ....and okoro has done nothing to suggest he is on matisse level, defensively

Matisse Thybulle Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN

Latest on Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Matisse Thybulle including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN

www.espn.com

 

[gambler]

I think it’s matchup dependent. Frye provided great spacing just by camping on an island during our Eastern runs but was coached out of the Finals rotation.

And yes, despite people calling for him to retire before last season, Love’s game may age very well because he’s proven to be effective without his athleticism already.

he has some larry bird in his game....cant jump ,,,not the best footwork....but has excellent hands and instinctively has great positioning

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

A quick hook and Okoro?? The guy has played 30 minutes a night from the moment he set foot in the league despite doing nothing to earn those minutes. Stevens and Wade have to fear a quick hook, to date Okoro's minutes have been set in stone.

Fair point. Okoro doesn't get yanked, but that's probably just because JBB tells him that his role is to go out there and play defense, and as long as he does that he's okay. I still don't think he has anything close to a green light to shoot.

 

[weepinwillow]

A quick hook and Okoro?? The guy has played 30 minutes a night from the moment he set foot in the league despite doing nothing to earn those minutes. Stevens and Wade have to fear a quick hook, to date Okoro's minutes have been set in stone.

Okoro didn't get a quick hook because he generally was doing what JBB wanted him to do. (defend, rotate correctly, look for offense in transition, keep the ball moving in the half court). Stevens forces his offense more than you'd like from a 5th guy, but I thought by the end of the season he had made a solid case for more minutes. Wade feels like a Lauri/Love sub at the 4 more than a wing to me.

As for not earning minutes, that is a Cavs-culture thing, imo. Sexton, Garland, Okoro all were handed minutes, I'm going to guess that Ochai is going to get some unwarranted minutes here as well, while they dial back Okoro some.

 

[AllforOne]

As for [Okoro] not earning minutes, that is a Cavs-culture thing, imo. Sexton, Garland, Okoro all were handed minutes, I'm going to guess that Ochai is going to get some unwarranted minutes here as well, while they dial back Okoro some.

I think it's more of a "lottery teams with no other available talent are going to play their young players and see what they have in them" thing than a Cavs-culture thing ... and that it's wrong to suggest that other NBAs in the same position wouldn't/haven't taken the same approach.

Lottery teams are going to see what their young players can do. It's more important to go, say, 24-58 with Okoro playing big minutes -- allowing the team to get a better idea of what he can do -- than 28-54 by playing veteran stop-gaps instead. It was a higher priority for the organization to get more intel on Okoro, Garland, Sexton, etc. (dare I say Windler?) than it was for them to win a few more games that would be meaningless in the bigger picture.

I would bet that is going to change now that the Cavs have a winning season under the belts and have playoff expectations going forward. (Which is a reflection of the greatly improved talent on the roster as compared to three years ago.) Or to put it another way: Agbaji will get fewer minutes this season than he would have received had 2019 or 2020 been his rookie year. (Unless he shoots the lights out and earns those extra minutes -- a situation that we can all agree would be a good one to have.)

 

[Lyuokdea]

Should end that speculation.

 

[FrontPageNews]

I would have loved to have him back but at least this lets us officially move on forever.

 

[CavsFaninNJ]

I would have loved to have him back but at least this lets us officially move on forever.

Yup.

He won't be available until 2 years from now...at that point it's a farewell tour, IMO. No need for that.

 

[avs2000]

Should end that speculation.

Thank God !

 

[Expensive Jet]

Cleveland Cavaliers | Schedule | NBA.com

Check the Cleveland Cavaliers schedule for game times and opponents for the season, as well as where to watch or radio broadcast the games on NBA.com

www.nba.com

Full schedule is out.

Longest road trip is two 5-game trips.

5 out west in January:
Denver, Phoenix, Utah, Portland, Minnesota.

5 game trip in November:
Detroit, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Warriors

 

[Heat Check]

Should end that speculation.

Best news of the offseason. One less annoying distraction.

 

[foucault87]

why do you see harrison barnes as "fading" at 30 yrs old?.... because hes proven iron....i see him as a thaddeus young type....who was still putting up 6th moy numbers at 33.....imo...the cavs give up a 1st and can get barnes to sign a 2/30.....done....then they have both lauri/barnes for three more years at the 3....1,3,4 and 5 and a 30 minute bench player..... championship pieces set....now you just need the 2.

i dont have a problem wiht love last year....but his numbers might regress at 34 and there is the fact that hes only good for 20/game now... porzingis, hayward......anthony "street clothes" davis being a top 10....these types of players can help you win a conference final but you cant count on them...i dont bet on teams wiht these types of players....

its not the end of teh world if the cavs cant swap out a high percentage SF for love.....myb mobely can do 35+ form the 3 and play 13/game at SF during the playoffs if he has the futwork.... love can myb then get 22...you just cant have kevin love playing 10/game ...the cavs are not good enough to do that....from what ive seen ...okoro cant play 20/game....his lack of shooting....opposing players will cheat....thybulle is at least a premier defender....15/game in the playoffs ....and okoro has done nothing to suggest he is on matisse level, defensively

Matisse Thybulle Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN

Latest on Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Matisse Thybulle including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN

www.espn.com

I dont see the Barnes/Thad comp at all. They did totally different things on the court and a lot of what Thad offered as a secondary playmaker and weakside rotator was not reliant on his athleticism. Weve established many places elsewhere on the board why Harrison Barnes is not worth close to a first round pick. Sitting pat seems like a much smarter option to me than blowing assets for a piece that doesn't move the needle